The Village of Cache Creek has received a grant of $48,000 under the provincial government’s Rural Dividend program. The grant—made under the special circumstances provision because of this summer’s wildfires—will support upgrades to the Cache Creek Community Hall. The goal is to brand the facility as a state-of-the-art venue, which will encourage organizations in the area to host their functions in Cache Creek rather than travel longer distances to other venues.
Cache Creek mayor John Ranta says that among the upgrades being looked at are a projector for the ceiling of the hall, enhanced lighting (which might include stage lighting), upgrades to the kitchen, and improvements to the hall’s sound system.
“The sound system is quite complicated to use,” says Ranta, “and it could be made more user-friendly.” He adds that the hall is well-utilized by a wide variety of community groups. “We want to make sure that it is maintained and enhanced. It’s the largest air-conditioned space in the area, and lots of people and groups use it.”
Some of the grant funding will be used to replace a treadmill in the gym at the hall. “A large variety of people use the gym,” says Ranta, noting that the gym is free to use and is staffed by volunteers.
Cache Creek chief administrative officer Keir Gervais says that they will also be upgrading the storage spaces at the hall. “We have multiple users in the facility and equipment for multiple events, but not enough storage space. We want a more efficient storage system for users.”
Gervais notes that the sound system in the hall is a very professional one, but that it is made up of 10 to 12 individual components. “There has been so much advancement in sound systems, and we’re looking at a plug-and-play system with fewer components than what we have now. We can probably get everything we have in just three components now.”
A major drawback of the community hall, as noted this past summer, is the lack of Wi-Fi. “Having that will make the hall far more appealing. The lack of it has ruled us out for hosting some regional-sized functions. With Wi-Fi installed, people can continue doing business [online] while doing business in the hall.”
editorial@accjournal.ca
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